Interviewed by ABC WSB 2 in Atlanta, Georgia, Angela discusses House Bill 17 - Hidden Predator Act which extends the statute of limitations under the 2 year discovery rule and opens Investigative records to victims.

Video Transcript:

Jovita Moore: A bill signed by the governor today would extend the time limit for victims of sexual abuse to sue their alleged predators. Some abuse victims tell us, though, that legislation favors the molesters. New at Six, Channel Two's, Rachel Stockman spent months working to expose the players who, our sources tell us, worked behind closed doors to gut the bill.

Rachel Stockman: Jovita, we've been following this bill, as you mentioned, every step of the way, and we were pretty surprised about some of the folks that we saw show up at these committee hearings.

Reporter: Why would this bill affect you?

Lobbyist: I'm not authorized to speak.

Reporter: It's not often you find lobbyists with so little to say. We wanted to know why the executive director of the Georgia Catholic Conference, a lobbyist for the insurance industry, and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce would care about a bill aimed at helping child sexual abuse victims.

Reporter: I'm just curious why the Chamber of Commerce is interested in this child rape bill.

Lobbyist 2: We're just checking on this legislation.

Rachel Stockman: In fact, they all told us they are, quote, neutral. However, the bill's sponsor, Representative Jason Spencer, says these are the very players working against him.

Jason Spencer: There's always a way to influence legislation from behind the scenes.

Rachel Stockman: The hidden predator bill is meant to help people like Justin Conway and the hundreds of other victims who say they are victims of alleged child molesters.

A Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney said a GBI investigation found enough evidence to charge Conway's karate instructor but was barred from filing because of the expired criminal statute of limitations.

Justin Conway: No man wants to admit openly in the community of horrific things that were done.

Rachel Stockman: Conway was hoping the bill would give him closure by extending the statute of limitations until 53 years old, for victims to sue their accused predators or the organization that may have kept the abuse quiet.

Marci Hamilton: It's a simple fix.

Rachel Stockman: Marci Hamilton from the Cardozo School of Law, New York, is working on similar legislation in dozens of states.

Marci Hamilton: The insurance industry and the Catholic Bishops are the two entities that go the farthest. They invest the most to try to kill these bills.

Rachel Stockman: When California passed a similar bill, around a thousand lawsuits were filed with settlements for victims of abuse costing more than a billion dollars, according to local reports.

Justin Conway: Anybody that has a history of sexual abuse and knowingly covering it up has something to lose.

Rachel Stockman: The executive director of the Georgia Catholic Conference told us his organization is not taking a position. But we discovered this memo from 2014 where the conference told members they were, quote, gratified with the demise of a similar bill.

Rachel Stockman: You were hoping for the demise of a bill that took away…

Frank Mulcahy: it's not true.

Rachel Stockman: We read it right on your website, sir.

Frank Mulcahy: Well, I don't remember seeing that on the website.

Rachel Stockman: The version that was signed by the governor today is watered down. According to Angela Williams from Voice Today.

Angela Williams: It was gutted, actually.

Rachel Stockman: She says many concessions were put in place to make it harder to sue businesses and church organizations.

Angela Williams: There was such great concern over liability and that became more important than someone's life.

Rachel Stockman: Now no one from the catholic conference, the insurance lobby, or the Georgia Chamber of Commerce would agree to a sit-down interview about this bill. However, the chamber did send us a statement saying in part: the measures they tried to add will help prevent against frivolous lawsuits. Reporting live at the state capital, Rachel Stockman, channel two action news.

Jovita Moore: It's an important topic, Rachel. Thank you.